NEED FOR GLUTENLESS BAKING
GLUTEN-FREE BAKING
A gluten-free diet, in general terms, means foods that are free from gluten. Gluten is a type of protein element that is found in cereal grains like wheat, oats, and barley. It is a combination of Prolamin and Glutelin proteins. These substances have the potential to cause coeliac disease, a type of gastrointestinal disorder. The foods that contain gluten substance have low nutritional value, hence should be avoided in the human diet. A gluten-free diet is the inclusion of foods that do not contain the protein element gluten. For example; meat, eggs, legumes, milk, nuts, rice, corn, and other dairy products.
The art of baking is not a small chapter but a large topic with numerous trends and methods. Gluten-free is one of the most discussed and controversial topics in recent years. But the problem with gluten-free baking is you cannot expect the same outcome as gluten-based recipes because gluten is the main ingredient that lends shape and chewy texture to most baked products.
Here are some of the alternatives for gluten-free ingredients that can be included in your baking recipes:
Flours made from beans, brown rice, amaranth, and potato also contain more or less the same nutrients as in gluten-based flours.
If you are under the assumption that gluten-free ingredients are less nutritious, then worry not. Flour made from Almond not only render their unique flavor to your recipe but are also packed with a large number of nutrients. Hence, they are healthy substitutes in baking.
To get that chewy consistency you can opt to add a teaspoon of Xanthan gum for 1 cup of gluten-free flour mix while preparing dough for pizza and bread. For cakes and cookies, half a spoon is sufficient.
There can be some chances that you are intolerant to xanthan gum, then try using this alternative for the same purpose.
For gluten-free-based recipes, more leavening is necessary; hence add more baking powder and baking soda. Alert! Remember to buy gluten-free baking soda.
Understanding some of the serious health concern caused by gluten-based foods:
Non-Celiac Wheat Sensitivity, in expansion, is one of the popular ailments caused by gluten-based products. This ailment can be found in nearly 0.5% to 13% of the general population. This ailment is normally misinterpreted as Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS)
There is no established evidence of how Gluten Ataxia happens, but the majority of the studies reveal that this disease affects the cerebellum, a part of the brain.
In medical terms, it is an eruption on the skin caused by gluten-based foods. This kind of inflammation can occur on the knees, forearm, scalp, or buttocks.
Again, this is caused by the consumption of foods that contain gluten substances. Consuming gluten products triggers immune reactions in the small intestinal region. This results in the malabsorption of nutrients. Symptoms include weight loss, diarrhea, anemia, fatigue, and other serious health concerns. Though this disease is rarely reversible, following a strict gluten-free diet can help to reduce the severity.
Eating wheat that has gluten in it causes allergic reactions in the body. The reactions can occur within 2 to 4 hours after consuming wheat-based products. Symptoms include itching of the mouth, nasal congestion, breathlessness, nausea, Anaphylaxis, and diarrhea. This disease is often confused with Celiac disease.
Now that you are aware of the serious health concerns caused by gluten-based products, let us now concentrate on foods that are gluten-free and healthy at the same time.
Except for a few selected grains like wheat, rye, barley, and oats, rest are gluten-free grains. These include quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat, arrowroot, millets, and tapioca.
All fruits and vegetables do not contain gluten naturally. But do check out the ingredients when consuming processed food. As they may contain gluten added externally like in canned fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, frozen fruits, and pre-chopped vegetables.
Most foods contain proteins, including plant-based and animal-based. Legumes, seeds, nuts, red meat, seafood, traditional soya food, and poultry meat are some of the gluten-free protein-rich foods. However, check twice when consuming processed meats, microwaveable proteins, ground meat, and meats seasoned with sauces.
Most foods contain proteins, including plant-based and animal-based. Legumes, seeds, nuts, red meat, seafood, traditional soya food, and poultry meat are some of the gluten-free protein-rich foods. However, check twice when consuming processed meats, microwaveable proteins, ground meat, and meats seasoned with sauces.
Sometimes gluten could have been added to enhance the flavor of the oil. But naturally, fats and oils like butter, ghee, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and other vegetable oils are gluten-free.
Beverages are gluten-free too! 100% fruit juices, tea, and coffee are safe. However, keep an eye while buying alcoholic beverages made from malt and barley.
Most of the sauces like ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pasta sauce, salsa, rice-vinegar may contain gluten. Coconut and Tamari are gluten-free.
IMPORTANCE OF GLUTEN IN BAKING:
Most of the time gluten acts as the main ingredient in bakery products and is responsible to get that elasticity and chewy texture. Be it your favorite pizza or pasta, they look yummy and chewy, and the hero behind getting this structure is Gluten. Getting that kind of texture without gluten-based materials can be a difficulty, but possible for sure. Most of the flours used in baking contain a desired level of gluten, and hence knowing the percentage of gluten content may help you plan your baking recipes.
Wheat flour is normally gluten-based but comes in varieties. Hard varieties contain a large percentage of gluten content, while the weak or the soft variety contains a comparatively less percentage of gluten content. Kinds of pasta are normally prepared using hard wheat, while for preparing biscuits and cookies soft varieties with weak gluten are used to get that crunchy and crumble texture.
Wondering why we said Gluten is the hero ingredient in bread? The reason is it holds the air and is responsible to give your bread the elasticity it requires. The longer time you take to knead the dough, the tighter it gets, while the gluten particles form a web-like structure. This kind of structure gets stronger during the fermentation process. Now, you understand why most of the time bakers and chefs say, “Knead the dough and keep it aside for an hour or two”.
After a short introduction to the significance of our hero ingredient, most of you must have concluded that gluten-free baking is next to impossible. No, don’t jump to the conclusion and mourn on your feelings for cake and cookies. A gluten-free lifestyle may sound tricky initially, but when you get used to it, you surely cannot stop loving it. Because, as already explained, gluten has the potential to cause serious health concerns and some of which are long-term. So, most of them do not have a choice, but just to stay away from it.
Even after realizing the downside of gluten flours, at Cravoury we couldn’t stop experimenting with gluten-free ingredients, because we know there are plenty of cake lovers out there, and we do not want you guys to get disheartened. Now, after playing, and performing trial and error methods, today we have come up with gluten-free cake recipes.
To wrap it all up….
The recommendation to use gluten-free edibles has been on the rise for the past few years. Be it for health concerns or by personal choice, most of them are now opting for gluten-free food products. Gluten-free baking is a boon to many of us who are gluten intolerant.We are sure removing gluten from the diet does make a huge difference to most of the population who are gluten intolerant. But that does not mean you need to sacrifice your cravings for cakes and cookies or be in any other gluten-based eateries. Now, with improved research facilities and advancement in food technology, most of the time you will find alternatives for gluten-free products. These products are healthy and tasty too! So you can always opt for these.
Cakes are an important part of most celebrations and without which, a birthday party is never complete. But since gluten has become the most debated health-related topic, most of you are scared to consume cake, even if you have an addiction to it. We completely understand your concern, and with our experience in the baking industry we have come up with gluten-free recipes especially for you. So, say goodbye to gluten-based cakes and start relishing gluten-free cakes. You can check out our product list page and order online anytime with your preferred flavor. We at Cravoury are always happy to serve you…as for all of us Health is Wealth!